Teacher's Tips

If you are planning to implement a beverage container recycling program in your school, here are some things you may wish to include in your planning:

Before You Start...

Suggestions compiled from the teachers in the Burnaby School District:

• Inform everyone on staff what the program is about, how it will work, who will play what role, why you are doing it and how the money raised will be used. It is a good idea to also include parents and/or your PAC in the program.
• Emphasize that it is a worthwhile school activity to recycle and keep the environment clean. The program is also a great way for the school to raise funds.
• Decide who (individuals or groups) will take on the responsibility for coordinating the program. Appoint a contact person but avoid having one person completely responsible for the entire program.
• Develop a plan for collecting, bagging and storing the beverage containers. Where are the recycling bins to be located in the school? Where will the full bags be stored?
• Determine in advance whether you will take the bags of containers to a local depot or will a local depot come to the school to pick up the bags? Call your local Return-It Depot for more information.

Getting Started...

• When you have all the recycling materials provided by Encorp, you will need to decide on a launch date, then organize an event or celebration to draw attention and catch interest so the program gets off to a good start. For example, your school can organize a bottle drive. Students could be encouraged to bring additional empty containers from home to jump start the program.
• Monitor the collection carefully to identify challenges or unanticipated obstacles and address them immediately.
• Solicit feedback from all concerned from time to time to observe the status of the program.
• Celebrate the success of the program by recognizing contributions, highlighting things the deposit refund money has been used for and reinforcing the principle that "We make our environment better by doing this!"